New England Pet Grooming Professionals

About Our Board Members

Toni Coppola

Toni Coppola has been with dogs for years. She is a graduate of New York School of Dog Grooming. Toni is a Breeder/Handler of 45 Champions in three breeds: Afghans, Salukis, Borzois. She went on to win the prestigious American Saluki Association top producing Brood Bitch.

With a passion for animals and clients wanting her to groom their other dogs, she has owned or managed four grooming salons in the MA area. She has also won many grooming competition awards. She is certified in sporting and non-sporting.

Currently, she owns a full service boarding kennel and grooming salon shared with her husband, Tony in Hubbardston, MA. Continuing with her service efforts, Toni joined NEPGP in the 80's and is currently its President. With her husband, Tony, known as "the Tony's", they are the Exhibitor Coordinators for the New England Pet Grooming Professionals. They share their home with numerous cats, dogs and in their "spare time" also enjoy their flower gardens, cooking and boating.

Lori Vincent

Lori Vincent has been grooming since 1998, she started out as a bather while she was going to school for her paralegal degree. She fell in love with grooming and bought the shop she had been working at "Happy Tails Dog And Cat Grooming" in October 2004.
Lori started competing in grooming competitions in 2000,and has a extensive display of pictures, ribbons, and trophies. She enjoys competing with the sporting breeds and handstripping.
When she is not in the competition ring you can find her taking educational seminars, she and her staff try to attend at least four seminars a year.
Lori has a 8 year old Saint Bernard named "Annie" at home and two 5 year old red Persian cats named "Redmond" and "Baron".

Linda Claflin

Linda C. Claflin owned a professional pet styling salon for seventeen years in Keene, NH and still works there part time. She won the Sibyl and Jolie Memorial awards for kindness to animals. Linda is a proud member of Groom Team USA , 2004. In her first Oster International Invitational, she received a Bronze medal trimming an American Cocker Spaniel.
Achieving her dream to be on Groom Team, Linda is retired from active competition. Currently, Linda is challenging herself as the Show Coordinator of the New England Pet Grooming Professionals (NEPGP) and was invited to be a Groom Team USA Board member for the 2007-2010 term. She shares her home with Rob Phelps and her cat "Yoda" in the Northhampton, MA area. Linda loves flower gardening, walking and swimming at the ocean.

Stacey Westcott

Grooming is my second career. When the insurance company I was working for closed, I decided to do something that I love. Be with dogs. So at the age of 43 I went to grooming school in Washington State where we live at the time. I feared I would be the oldest one there—well I was not. After graduation I worked for the groomer that had worked on my dogs.

My husband was transferred to the East Coast. I worked for a shop in Massachusetts, then I decided to venture out on my own where I am today. I'm grooming out of my home in Nashua NH and very happy.

Anne Francis

Anne Francis has been grooming for 11 years, and is currently celebrating her 10 year anniversary at the Village Groomer in Walpole ,Mass. where she is the store/grooming manager. Anne has won many awards at grooming competitions but is most know for her skill with Bichons and mixed breeds. She is a well rounded groomer placing awards with cocker spaniels, springer spaniels, std poodles, bichons, and mixed breed styles. Anne has just started presenting seminars and workshops and was featured at the 2005 Nepgp fall and spring shows. Anne also is very knowledgable in cat grooming. She is the head cat groomer at The Village Groomer and has been working with cats long before grooming them when she volunteered at a local shelter. She shares her home with 4 dogs and 2 cats.

Sue Pratt

With over 40 years in the grooming business, Sue is manager of Twickenton Dog and Cat grooming in Dedham, MA; a very large grooming salon.

As past President of NEPGP, Contest Coordinator for 10 years, Sue went back into the contest ring herself. She won many awards in scissoring as well as numerous class placements at Intergroom and Best in Show at NEPGP with a Standard Poodle.

Currently the Contest Coordinator at Intergroom, Sue is affectionately known as the "Pit Boss", fast becoming known as the "Ring Master" or "Ring Leader" at the New England show.

Critters include a Jack Russell, champion Schnauzer, 2 Brussells Griffons, a cat and in her spare time, she rides her 21 year old Arabian gelding on the trails.

Dot McDermott

Dorothy has been a professional pet stylist for 28 years. Always interested in animals, Dot worked prior to this as an avian biologist at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, the Franklin Park and Stone Zoos in Massachusetts. When Dot found her "true calling"; she started her grooming career fresh from Pedigree Grooming School by opening Dorothy's Grooming Salon in a Boston neighborhood. After several successful years Dot was bit by the travelling bug and moved to California. There in addition to grooming, Dottie was a sales consultant and lecturer for a regional distributor. However, being a true New Englander, Dottie returned home where she worked at Twickenton in Dedham for over 14 years. Dottie is now one of the independent professional pet stylist at Highland Animal Hospital in Needham. Dot lives in Mendon, Massachusetts with her toy poodle, Miss Sassafras.

Lynn Boucher

Lynn started her grooming career in 1974 when she went to work for professional handler Bill Trainor. 33 years later, she now owns that kennel which now goes by the name of The Precious Furs Pet Resort. Over the years she has bred and shown Welsh Corgis, competed in obedience trials, and competed and won many grooming awards. She is a board member and treasurer of the New England Pet grooming Professionals. Lynn lends her expertise to help educate owners and groomers on the proper ways to keep pets in good coat and on how to make even a mutt look like a million.. When not at work you can find Lynn out on her motorcycle.

Sandy Seaman

I Began my career by attending Newbury Jr. College in 1981. While there I obtained an Associated Degree in Canine Science, graduating Phi Theta Kappa. Courses completed included Grooming, Training, Kennel Management, Genetics, Nutrition & Canine Confirmation. After graduation in 1983, I started working for a couple of local kennels as a groomer. Later that year I started my own business the basement of my parentsÕ home in Plaistow, NH. After my marriage in 1984, my husband and I moved to Kingston where I moved my business. The new shop was out of our new home, in the basement with a separate entrance from the main floor of the house. In 1985 I joined the NDGAA and in 1991 I joined a regional organization NEPGP. This is when I learned that there were continuing education programs for groomers. Since that time, I have attended numerous trade shows, seminars and grooming contests, at least once a year usually twice. I have also competed in grooming competitions. In 2000 I tried my hand at competing, and although I did quite well for my first time I found that competing was not for me. By continuing to go to these events I have kept myself current with new products, equipment, shampoos, styles and trends.